Most users do not pay attention to the processes running in the system, but in vain, because knowing which one is responsible for what, you can easily fix the problem that arose due to the failure of a process. In this article we will discuss the question, what kind of process is wuauclt.exe, whether it is a virus or not, where it is located in the system and how to fix problems with it. Read it to the end to figure it out.
wuauclt.exe - what is it?
It would be prudent to first outline the role of this process in the system. And it is needed only for one reason - it bears the responsibility of checking and installing updates to the Windows operating system. It was developed directly by Microsoft. It works in the background; accordingly, it does not have a graphical interface. Systematically refers to the company’s website, checking if a new update has been released, and if one is found, it will prompt the user to install it or install it automatically (depending on the settings).
Virus or not?
Now, knowing what kind of process is wuauclt.exe, we can imagine what we are dealing with. But initially it is worth answering the question of many users: "wuauclt.exe - is it a virus or not"? Let us immediately indicate that this is not a virus, on the contrary, it is a system process, but a virus can hide under its name. Detecting this is quite simple - it will load the system heavily, and in the "Task Manager" there will be two processes of the same name at once. To find out which one is a malicious program, you need to check the location of the executable file.
System Process Location
Now let's talk about where the file is located on the system that starts the wuauclt.exe process. You need to know this if only because in this way you can find out if it is a virus. So, to verify this, do the following:
- Launch the Task Manager application.
- In it, go to the "Processes" tab.
- Find the wuauclt.exe process among all the others.
- Click on it with RMB.
- Select the "Open file location" option.
If it is official, that is, from developers, then the folder will be called "System32", otherwise it is a virus, and it must be deleted.
Can it be completed?
We already know that the file located in the System32 folder is responsible for the wuauclt.exe process. Now let's find out whether it can be completed, thereby reducing the load on the computer. Without long ranting, let's say right away - it is possible to complete the system process. In the "Task Manager" simply need to click the button of the same name, after selecting the file. But first you should think about whether you need it, because Windows will stop updating.
System process loads the system - what to do?
Some users are still willing to turn off the process. A good reason for this is the load on the system. Of course, it will decrease, but here you need to understand that by default wuauclt.exe should not load the system much. If this is not a virus, and the percentage of CPU consumption exceeds 30%, then it’s worth doing something. Now we’ll tell you not only how to disable wuauclt.exe, but also give a couple of guides on how to reduce this figure without turning it off.
Method 1: End the process
To get started, let’s tell you how to simply end the wuauclt.exe process. This method will reduce the waste of computer power in one session, respectively, within its framework, the operating system will not receive updates. After the computer restarts, wuauclt.exe will be started again. So, to complete the process you need to:
- Open Task Manager.
- Go to the "Processes" tab.
- Select the one you need from the list.
- Click RMB on it.
- Select "End Process".
After that, it will be closed, and the CPU load will decrease.
Method 2: Change the wuauclt.exe settings
If you do not want to turn off this process, but, on the contrary, fix it so that it does not consume so many computer resources, it is recommended to perform the following actions:
- Open the Control Panel.
- From the list, select "Windows Update."
- Go to settings by clicking on the appropriate link in the sidebar.
- In the new window, from the "Important updates" drop-down list, select "Do not check for updates."
- Save the changes.
- Reboot the computer.
After that, return this option back, that is, select "Install updates automatically."
Method 3: Disable the Windows Update Service
If you do not need updates and do not want to bother with the periodic shutdown of this process, then you can complete it forever. For this:
- Press Win + R and in the window that appears, run the services.msc command.
- In the new window from the list, find "Windows Update" and double-click on it.
- In the service properties, change the startup type to Disabled.
- Apply the changes and click OK.
After that, the process will stop starting on the computer.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I want to say one thing - even knowing what the wuauclt.exe process is, you have no guarantee that the virus does not hide behind its name. Therefore, you should systematically check your computer for malicious programs hiding under the names of system processes. Moreover, wuauclt.exe is rather unstable, and special attention is required to it.